This is how I stay sane. “Decide not to waste energy worrying about what you don’t have. That is the route to misery. Instead, focus on what you can control. Pay attention to the good in your life, and do your best at whatever you do. There is joy and satisfaction in that.” from Simple Changes to Better Your Life
I doubt you'll get many cancellation, Dianne--you offer so much with your free newsletter they will feel like they've found a gold mine!
I just wanted to add a thought about staying in the middle--that middle is really a huge place, where a number of trap doors can tempt you into various sorts of frustration. My personal bugaboo, when I was busy writing lots of books for young readers, was seeing that my alter ego, Carolyn Arnold, had just come out with a book I figured I would have wanted to write. DARN IT! I'd quickly start to go down that slope and have to stop and say well, there's nothing I can do about that; don't let it "get to you!"
Years later, when I actually got to meet Carolyn--by then she'd brilliantly switched to writing and illustrating books for beginning readers (thus got all the royalties instead of having to share) so I decided to like her--I confessed to my previous envy and frustrations, and she said "Oh--that's funny--I felt the same way about you and your latest book so many times!" Who knew.....
I'm so grateful for this piece today. I had a similar experience recently with a post doing particularly "well" and I've been back and forth about how to follow it up. Thanks for reminding me about middle's value.
My mantra is to try to avoid expectations. That way I am not disappointed if something doesn’t work out, but am happily surprised and grateful when it does.
Besides the inspiring wisdom of being comfortable "in the middle," I have to say that the Vox article "Everyone's a Sellout Now" is so incredibly pertinent to me, and informative, that it feels like it was written for, and to, me. If it were not for this newsletter, I never would have seen it, and that would have been a pity. Along with the incredible wealth of other links, informed musings, and eminently use-able information, I am reminded once again why I choose to be a paid subscriber of Dianne's excellent newsletter!
This is how I stay sane. “Decide not to waste energy worrying about what you don’t have. That is the route to misery. Instead, focus on what you can control. Pay attention to the good in your life, and do your best at whatever you do. There is joy and satisfaction in that.” from Simple Changes to Better Your Life
I doubt you'll get many cancellation, Dianne--you offer so much with your free newsletter they will feel like they've found a gold mine!
I just wanted to add a thought about staying in the middle--that middle is really a huge place, where a number of trap doors can tempt you into various sorts of frustration. My personal bugaboo, when I was busy writing lots of books for young readers, was seeing that my alter ego, Carolyn Arnold, had just come out with a book I figured I would have wanted to write. DARN IT! I'd quickly start to go down that slope and have to stop and say well, there's nothing I can do about that; don't let it "get to you!"
Years later, when I actually got to meet Carolyn--by then she'd brilliantly switched to writing and illustrating books for beginning readers (thus got all the royalties instead of having to share) so I decided to like her--I confessed to my previous envy and frustrations, and she said "Oh--that's funny--I felt the same way about you and your latest book so many times!" Who knew.....
What an excellent newsletter, Dianne. And I have pondered this concept a whole lot, especially lately.
I'm so grateful for this piece today. I had a similar experience recently with a post doing particularly "well" and I've been back and forth about how to follow it up. Thanks for reminding me about middle's value.
My mantra is to try to avoid expectations. That way I am not disappointed if something doesn’t work out, but am happily surprised and grateful when it does.
Besides the inspiring wisdom of being comfortable "in the middle," I have to say that the Vox article "Everyone's a Sellout Now" is so incredibly pertinent to me, and informative, that it feels like it was written for, and to, me. If it were not for this newsletter, I never would have seen it, and that would have been a pity. Along with the incredible wealth of other links, informed musings, and eminently use-able information, I am reminded once again why I choose to be a paid subscriber of Dianne's excellent newsletter!
Reading this post has been a good strategy; it just helped me :) Thank you.
Words cannot express my gratitude for this amazing round up of culinary news and juicy tidbits. So much to read and savor. Thank you!
Do you have any plans to run more "Jump Your Cookbook Proposal" workshops?
Always such valuable perspective